Come along as I cover my first Winter Olympics

Dan Powers shares favorite Olympic images from China and Brazil before heading to South Korea for the Winter Olympics.

Buy Photo

Dan Powers, seen here covering the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, will be part of the USA TODAY Sports photo team at the Winter Olympics in South Korea.(Photo: Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)Buy Photo

It actually started out on a down note, as this is the first year in a decade the Green Bay Packers didn’t make the playoffs. So, I’ve been watching the excitement of NFL postseason via TV. I gotta tell ya, it just doesn’t compare to being on the sidelines photographing the action in an electric atmosphere up close.

That said, things are on an upswing — and coming quickly — as I will be photographing the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in February as part of the USA TODAY Sports Images team. We will be covering the Olympics for USA TODAY and all of the Gannett properties across the country, including the 11 here in Wisconsin.

This will be my third Olympics — I did Beijing in 2008 and Rio in 2016 — but my first Winter Games. The opening ceremony is Feb. 9 and the Games will conclude on Feb. 25. In between, it'll be an adrenaline-fueled blur.

Each time I cover an Olympics I get asked a variety of questions from family, friends and readers. Here are answers to some of those questions …

Q: Are you nervous about traveling to South Korea when tensions are so high between the United States and North Korea?

A: At each Olympics I’ve covered, there has been some sort of safety issue. For Rio, the concern was the high rate of crime. We were constantly keeping our eyes on our camera gear and paying attention to our surroundings. Obviously, this time the stakes are much higher. But I'm hopeful that North Korea doesn’t want any more negative attention focused on them during the biggest sporting event in the world, and maybe that’s why they’ve made recent efforts to talk with South Korea about sending athletes to the Games. I would be lying if I said the international tension wasn’t on my mind, but I feel confident the Games will go on without an incident.

Q: What events are you covering?

A: That is not set in stone. During the Olympics in Beijing, I shot a lot of swimming including all of the Michael Phelps gold medal events. It was awesome. But I also got to cover a variety of other events. In Rio, I was never anchored at one event. Each day was different, and to be honest, that’s the way I like it. Variety is the spice of life! In Pyeongchang, I already know that my first five days will include photographing the opening ceremonies along with three different events, so I’m fired up about that. After that, we'll see.

Q: Are you going by yourself or are you working with other people?

A: I am actually part of the USA TODAY team. We will have 22 photographers and four photo editors on board. Along with that, we will have a video team and IT folks to make sure everything runs smoothly. The talent level is off the charts, so it will take my best efforts just to hang with these photographers. It can be intimidating because not only are my colleagues among the best in the business, so is the competition. I’ll be shoulder to shoulder with the Associated Press, Sports Illustrated and Getty, just to name a few. No pressure!

Q: Have you been to South Korea before?

A: No. But I can’t wait to get there. Along with the thrill of covering such an action-packed and emotional event, I really enjoy discovering new places and cultures.

For more of these questions and answers, check out postcrescent.com for a livestream at noon on Tuesday. Brett Christopherson and I will be discussing my Olympics adventures past and present. Heck, we might even talk Super Bowl vs. Olympics.

During my time in Korea, I will be writing about my experiences covering a Winter Olympics for the first time. I'll bring it back to you in the form of photographs and columns at postcrescent.com, on our various social media channels and in the print edition. The timing will depend on my schedule — always a wild card during these things — so we'll have to stay flexible.

If the spirit of the Olympics has captured your attention, follow me on Twitter (@powrpics) and Instagram (powrpics10). I would love to bring you to the sidelines, so to speak, of the biggest winter sporting event in the world.

Lastly, when I return, we'll be setting up a public event in Appleton where we can talk about the Olympics and my experiences seeing it up close. Stay tuned for details.

Dan Powers is a photojournalist with The Post-Crescent and USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin.